It is generally known from U.S. Pat. No. 3,239,903, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference, to provide a metal strip joining apparatus with a gap control mechanism for controlling the gap or spacing between the adjacent ends of two metal strips prior to welding such ends together. However, it has been found that relatively thin metal strips are more easily welded together if the strip ends are overlapped a controlled small amount prior to welding. Accordingly, there is a need for a metal strip joining apparatus and method that provides for precisely controlling the amount of strip overlap during the strip joining operation.